INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana attorney general’s office wants a federal judge to stay his ruling striking down the state’s prohibition on same-sex marriage while it appeals.

Greg Zoeller

The Indiana attorney general’s office wants a federal judge to stay his ruling striking down the state’s prohibition on same-sex marriage while it appeals.

The state filed the request for an emergency stay Wednesday in federal court in Indianapolis after U.S. District Judge Richard Young overturned the state’s gay marriage ban. The attorney general’s office says it’s already filed a notice of appeal with the federal appellate court in Chicago.

The stay request says it’s premature to require Indiana to change its definition of marriage until the U.S. Supreme Court decides the issue. But it says marriages are already taking place in violation of the ban and are expected to continue.

The state says it’s urgent that Young stop the same-sex marriages before a final decision on the issue.